Hologram for architects

When I was in architecture school the only way to convey a three-dimensional representation of your project was to build a model. You pulled out the bass wood, wood glue, some Exacto blades, and a few days later you had a small scaled model of your project that you prayed no one would step on before you had to present it. Because of the smallness of the scale it usually wasn’t absolutely accurate, but it proved to do the trick. (The thickness of the wood and your skills for gluing also played a part in the model’s accuracy.)

There were those times when I watched a sci-fi movie where I wished I could somehow implement their fictional yet very cool technology into the presentation my projects. Once instance was me watching Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, where the generals for the Rebel Alliance were sitting around a huge hologram of the Death Star, plotting their strategy. The large red hologram just floated in the air as it spun around so that everyone (except maybe the person sitting behind Chewie) could see how the attack would proceed.

It might not float in the air and spin around, but there is a new hologram technology for designers that allows a three-dimensional representation without the wood glue. The technology offers a great method for understanding the massing and aesthetics for any type of project. And there is the ability to convey different information about the design based on how the hologram is turned (as seen in the video). It’s much more than merely two-dimensional printouts of a three-dimensional computer model because all sides of the model are revealed by the hologram.